In a forceful speech on Friday evening, Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded to the decision by the U.S. government to place him — along with his wife, son and interior minister — on the so-called “Clinton List,” a sanctions measure maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The sanctions cite Petro’s alleged involvement in the international drug trade and accuse his administration of permitting cartels to flourish.
Colombia’s Petro responds to US Clinton List inclusion in a fiercy speech
Speaking from Bogota’s Plaza de Bolivar before thousands of supporters gathered to back his push for a constituent assembly, Petro accused the U.S. of siding with “the mafia” in Colombia and asserted that his government will not bow to foreign-pressure. He told the crowd: “We do not kneel” and “we will not take one step back.”
He also accused former U.S. President Donald Trump of ignorance about Colombia’s realities, saying, “Mr. Trump doesn’t even know where Colombia is, nor who increased coca crops and who has fought to stop them.” Petro insisted that the sanctions were the result of “the typical attitude of the Colombian mafia sleeping in Miami, with their allies in the far right,” and added that the measures were being pushed by local elites seeking to destabilize his government. In previous declarations, Petro had notably targeted Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, of Colombian origin, who has been one of his most fierce critics in the U.S.
The sanctions mark a sharp escalation in tensions between Bogota and Washington. The U.S. Treasury said in its statement: “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.” Petro rejected that characterization, arguing that his administration has led the strongest anti-narcotics operations in years and describing the sanctions as “an act of political retaliation.”
He linked the decision to his international stance on Gaza, claiming his recent United Nations speech condemning Israel’s actions led to his punishment. “My last speech at the United Nations made the difference, and that is why I am being punished,” he said. “But I laugh at the punishment. I do not do business, and the sanctions prohibit doing business. They punish me for standing on the side of life.”
Petro further alleged that the U.S. actions were part of a coordinated effort by right-wing interests in both countries: “In Mexico and Brazil, everyone — from the richest to the poorest — defends their presidents. Here, it was the opposite. Here, false businessmen and false politicians encouraged the U.S. far right to take sanctions against Colombia and its president.”
The inclusion on the Clinton List carries significant consequences: all U.S.-based assets of those designated are frozen, and U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with them. In addition, Colombia, with the cutting of U.S. aid and the drug decertification now faces the prospect of further decline in security and economic cooperation with the United States, long a key partner in anti-narcotics and defense initiatives. Analysts warn the rupture could weaken Colombia’s counterdrug efforts and strain trade relations, as Trump threatened the country with additional tariffs.
From Petro’s standpoint, however, the confrontation reinforces his image as a defender of national sovereignty. “Colombia will not be ruled by mafias nor by foreign powers,” he said, calling on his supporters to “take to the streets to defend democracy.” He reiterated that his political goal is not re-election but “a constituent power of the people,” adding, “I want a new constitution made by Colombians, not by the oligarchy.”
Related: Colombia’s Petro Kicks Off Middle East Trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar.